Archive for October 2016

When the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) began planning their board meeting reception at the Ed Roberts Campus (ERC), they were faced with the question of how to get their group to the ERC in Berkeley from their hotel in Emeryville, and back again. Tim Fuchs of the NCIL contacted BORP he said, “We were having a heck of a time finding accessible transportation options. We have about 23 people, 6 of whom use wheelchairs.” After calling taxi, van and charter companies for days, he was having no luck.

BORP has two accessible buses, which were made possible by a Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 vehicle grant and a Paratransit Gap Grant from Alameda County Transportation Commission (Measure B funds). Each bus allows five to six people in wheelchairs to be transported at one time. And, in addition to providing transportation for BORP participants, we also offer a fee-for-service Group Trip Service option with discounted rates for disability groups and nonprofits. It was the perfect solution for NCIL, according to Fuchs who said, “We’re happy to pay for these services and I’d much rather give our money to BORP than a cab company.” And so, BORP will shuttle NCIL’s group together to their reception at the Ed Roberts Campus.

One of BORP’s buses parked in front of Rockaway Beach in Pacifica CA.

“I think this is a prime example of why our buses are important to our community and how they truly fill a gap between para-transit, public transit and other means of transportation which may not be accessible or affordable,” said Sarah-Dawn Smith, BORPs Transportation Coordinator.

“BORP’s buses fill a gap between para-transit, public transit and other means of transportation which may not be accessible or affordable”

In addition to NCIL, we have also recently served National Federation for the Blind California, Jewish Community Center East Bay, Children’s Skin Disease Foundation, and Project Access Oakland, to name a few.

Our vehicles open up opportunities to serve more community organizations! If you are planning a group trip and want information on how a BORP bus could help with your transportation needs, contact BORP Transportation Coordinator, Sarah-Dawn Smith, at transportation@borp.org or call (510) 849-4663 x 1378 or MOBILE (949) 205-9058.

BORP’s accessible group trip transportation service is made possible by funding from Alameda County Transportation Commission through the Special Transportation Program for Seniors and People with Disabilities (Measure B funds). This service is aimed at improving the mobility of people with disabilities and increasing access to sports and recreation activities by supplementing conventional fixed route service and addressing the current gap in accessible group trip options for youth and adults with disabilities in Alameda County. More information about this project can be found on our website and at alamedaactc.org.

Matthew was presented a basketball signed by the Warriors at a Jr. Road Warriors practice

The top youth fundraiser for the 14th annual Revolution Ride and Festival was Matthew Hatae. Like many REV riders and fundraisers, Matthew himself is a BORP athlete, having participated in BORP’s Youth Sports Program for more than nine years.

“Matthew embodies the spirit
of a true BORP athlete”

Matthew has tackled almost every activity BORP has offered, including sled hockey, adaptive cycling, track and field and basketball. When Matthew first came to BORP, he joined the Prep Basketball team and his team won the Prep National Championship in 2009. He went on to play varsity basketball and serve as co-captain of the Jr. Road Warriors for the 2015-16 season. “Matthew always gives every bit of energy and effort he has at every practice and has an incredible work ethic. He embodies the spirit of a true BORP athlete,” said Coach Trooper Johnson. Matthew’s teammates echoed the sentiment with one player saying, “If anyone deserves this, it’s Matthew.”

We were thrilled to be able to present Matthew with a basketball signed by the Golden State Warriors in recognition of his fundraising efforts for the 2016 Revolution. Congratulations, Matthew. And, from everyone at BORP, thank you!

Matthew riding past green vineyards during the 2016 Revolution with his father, David

Superfest is the world’s longest running disability film festival. The event, now in its 30th year, celebrates disability as a creative force in cinema and culture. BORP is proud to be a community supporter of Superfest and we hope you’ll join us Saturday, October 22 at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life in Berkeley (2121 Allston Way) and Sunday, October at 23 The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco (736 Mission Street). Click here to view a list of films being screened.

Bring your family and friends out to Oracle Arena and cheer on the Golden State Warriors as they take on the Portland Trailblazers on Saturday, December 17! A portion of every ticket we sell will benefit BORP. A limited number of these specially priced tickets are available, so purchase yours today!

Support BORP’s youth wheelchair basketball players as they take the court on Warriors Ground before tip-off! If 100 tickets are purchased through this opportunity, the BORP Jr. Road Warriors will have a chance for an on-court experience at the coliseum prior to the game.

This is an amazing opportunity to go watch the Golden State Warriors and support the BORP Jr. Road Warriors, the varsity wheelchair basketball team. The Golden State Warriors are the defending Western Conference Champions and returning after back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals. Last season the Warriors capped off a NBA record setting season, winning 73 games. Their off-season trade to acquire Kevin Durant has made the Warriors even stronger this year and a favorite to make another appearance in the NBA Finals. Come out and watch history in the making.

BORP offers the only competitive wheelchair basketball program in Northern California for kids with physical disabilities. The Jr. Road Warriors is the varsity wheelchair basketball team and competes against other teams of kids playing wheelchair basketball throughout the country in weekend tournament events. Kids with permanent lower-limb impairments (paralysis, amputation, cerebral palsey, spina, bifida, etc.) are eligible to compete in wheelchair basketball.

For more information, contact Trooper Johnson at 510-849-4663 (ext 1305) or trooper@borp.org.

*Rates can increase based on factors affecting supply and demand. Lock in your price and purchase today!

Flyer for BORP Night at Oracle Arena for Warriors v Trailblazers on December 17

On most Thursday and Saturday afternoons, Katherine Sherwood can be found cycling along the Berkeley waterfront with her partner. “He’s always been an avid cyclist. He found out about BORP about three years ago and told me about it.” On their first visit to BORP’s cycling center, Greg Milano set them up with a side-by-side tandem. Katherine loved it right away. “I really liked to go fast.”

In 1997 Katherine was a teacher and promising painter when she lost the use of the right side of her body as the result a major cerebral hemorrhage. But, she says, she never lost sight of the fact that she wanted to get back to teaching and making art. Katherine’s love of going fast seemingly also applied to learning to paint with her left hand. And soon her career began to reach new heights. Just three years after her stroke, Katherine’s artwork was featured in the prestigious Whitney Museum’s Biennial Exhibition in New York.

Much like her quick return to art, it didn’t take Katherine long to graduate from the side-by-side to an inline tandem bike. Riding at BORP regularly, Katherine was getting stronger, more independent… and faster than ever. Then one day she got to the cycling center to find that the tandem bikes were being used. “Greg just looked at me said, ‘I think you’re ready to go solo.’ And I’m so glad he did!”

Recently retired from long and illustrious career of teaching painting and disability studies at UC Berkeley, Katherine spends her time focusing on her involvement with disability advocacy at UC Berkeley, working with a few graduate students, and cycling.

Katherine says that cycling at BORP has made her life better, allowing her get aerobic exercise and to spend time with her partner doing something that they both love. “Everyone at the cycling center is exceedingly kind and helpful. They’ve become my BORP family.”

“They’ve become my BORP family.”

Today Katherine’s bike of choice is the ICE Bike. “They call it the sports car of bikes,” she says with a smile. Katherine still likes to go fast.

Katherine Sherwood: A Retrospective Exhibition

Katherine Sherwood’s artwork will be on exhibit at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery (116 Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley Campus) from October 19 through November 4, along with a special exhibition of several of her former students. Katherine’s most recent series, Venuses of the Yelling Clinic, feature iconic, proud disabled female figures rendered on the reverse of antique prints of art historically significant paintings. Click here to learn more

Trooper smiling and wearing Gold Medal. “Although coaches do not get medals, I was able to snag one for some photos.” -Trooper Johnson

Last month, BORP welcomed home Trooper Johnson, who returned from Rio after helping coach the U.S. Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team to gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games, defeating Germany in the finals. Trooper, a two-time Paralympic medalist himself, brought considerable experience and expertise as Assistant Coach to the Women’s Team this year. “I cannot express how proud I am of the athletes that played, and what an incredible journey it was,” said Trooper.

Here’s Trooper’s report from Rio:

USA met up with Great Britain in the semi-finals in what would turn out to be the game of the tournament. Both teams shot great from the outside in the first half, but we were able to pull away early in the 3rd quarter and finished with a 89-78 victory to advance. The U.S. team shot 69.5% from the field during the game and had 36 assists for the game. It was simply amazing basketball.

A team USA player on the Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team gets ready to shoot. Two players from Britain’s team try to defend.

In the Gold Medal game, the U.S. faced off against Germany, the defending Paralympic Champions. We slowly and methodically picked our shots and played incredible defense to stop the much bigger team. Again, we shot great from the outside. The team battled throughout the game and fought off the runs Germany made to come away with a 62-45 victory and a GOLD MEDAL!!

A Team USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball player blocks a pass during the USA v Germany gold medal game in Rio.

The U.S. Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team also won gold at the 2016 Paralymics. It was the first time that both the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair Basketball teams won gold. Trooper noted the significance of the wins stating that, “in combination with the success of our able-bodied teams at the Olympic Games in August, this means that the U.S. hold the top spots across the board for all four teams. ”

The women’s team Coach Stephanie Wheeler said that she hopes the wins at the Paralympics “helps us recruit more athletes. I hope that they see that they have the opportunity to do something special in sport … I hope that it helps the Paralympic sport movement in general. I know that there are people with disabilities who are out there who don’t know about sport. I didn’t know about it until six years after my accident. I hope that it spreads the word that you can be a part of this.” (Click here to read more from teamusa.org)

We hope so too! To learn more about playing Wheelchair Basketball with BORP, visit our Youth and Adult Wheelchair Basketball program pages.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make BORP’s 14th annual Revolution Ride a huge success! With the help of 200 riders, and nearly 100 volunteers, and our awesome sponsors and funders, we raised over 170 thousand dollars in support of BORP’s adaptive sports and recreation programs.

The Revolution bike ride and festival is BORP’s largest annual fundraising event and the money donated to REV teams and riders allows BORP to continue to offer innovative programs for people with disabilities, including adaptive cycling, wheelchair basketball, power soccer, sled hockey and more. These programs make a real impact in the lives of BORP athletes and participants. Perhaps Cortney Outman said it best when she said, “I am so lucky I am disabled because I get to do all of this fun stuff!”

So, again, THANK YOU for riding, donating, volunteering and supporting the REV and BORP this year!

The Revolution website will remain open through the end of October for any last minute donations and we will begin awarding fundraising prizes in November! Remember, the more money you raise, the better the prize, all the way up to a custom bicycle for the top fundraiser! So, keep sending those emails!

If you didn’t get a 2016 Revolution Jersey and would like one, limited quantities and sizes are still available! Email us (revolution@borp.org) and let us know what size and how many you’d like to purchase (Cost: $55).